Sherrie Levine

Paula Cooper Gallery, New York
Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston
Acquired by the present owner from the above

This work is in excellent condition overall. There are no apparent condition issues with this work. There are some minor inconsistencies in the surface of the plywood, including a seam down the center of the work which appears inherent to the plywood and the artist’s working method. Framed under Plexiglas.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"Plywood’s most direct relationship to art comes from its use for crates built to protect painting and sculpture (particularly for shipping), but by making plywood her “canvas” Levine has reversed that role in the Knot Paintings. Although the title of these works can be read as a pun for “not painting,” by painting over or mimicking the shape of plugs that fill holes sometimes left by naturally occurring knots within the wood, she transforms ordinary plywood into a field of wood grain and painted knots. Knots are often considered imperfections in wood, but by using the ready-made compositions that the plugs produce... Levine’s Knot Paintings suggest that there is aesthetic pleasure to be mined in even the most ostensibly banal objects." - Johanna Burton (Exh. Cat., 2011, Whitney Museum of American Art, Sherrie Levine: Mayhem, exhibition brochure)